Trotters help Red Bank win Group III relay titles
Distance medley team sets meet record

It didn’t take Katie Kingsbery very long to have an impact on the Red Bank Regional High School girls’ track and field team. In her first races of the indoor season, Kingsbery came away with a pair of gold medals as a member of RBR’s victorious distance medley and 4x800-meter relay teams at the State Group III Relay Championships. The DM team raised a stir by setting a meet record.

Par for the course, it was Amanda Trotter and sister Sarah Trotter, who sparked the Bucs to those pair of wins which helped lead RBR to second place behind Woodrow Wilson (48-44) at the Group III Championships held Sunday in Jadwin Gymnasium at Princeton University.

Kingsbery, a junior, had to sit out the first 30 days of the indoor season as a transfer (from Red Bank Catholic), and it wasn’t easy on her.

"It was crazy," Kingsbery said of her time on the sidelines. "It’s hard watching races that you should be running in and getting points for your team. I didn’t feel that I was part of the team."

Kingsbery is now officially a part of the team and showed that she was more than ready to go by ripping off a 2:23 800 meter leg on the DM.

"I had a fear of letting the team down," she pointed out. "I didn’t know how I’d run.

"I thought the 800 was a lot slower than it was," the junior added. "I had all of this adrenaline going. I’ve only got four meets indoors. I want to make them all count."

Kingsbery and her teammates may have been inadvertently helped by the previous night’s snow, which made their ride to Princeton longer than expected. The bus didn’t get to the Jadwin until 9:15 a.m. just before the Bucs were scheduled to run the DM. There was hardly any time to warm up, let alone think too much about what could go wrong.

Sarah Trotter started things off running the opening 1,200-meter leg. Christine Hurley then sped through 400 meters handing the baton to the anxious Kingsbery for her 800 meter leg. Her 2:23 increased RBR’s lead and the only question now was if there was a record in the offing for the overpowering Bucs.

Amanda Trotter’s closing 5:08 1,600 split brought the Bucs home in 12:30.61, eclipsing the old Group III mark of 12:32.93 set by the 1999 Middletown South team that went on to win the indoor national championship.

"We were so surprised," said Kingsbery. "We didn’t have an idea about the meet record until Amanda was running and we knew that if she ran a good race we could get it."

It was a smashing debut at the championships for the Bucs who were just starting.

Katy Trotter ran the opening 800-meter leg for RBR’s 4x800 winners. She handed the baton to sister Sarah who was followed by Kingsbery and Amanda Trotter, who again ran a blistering anchor leg. The quartet won easily in 9:48.21.

Training with the Trotters has elevated Kingsbery’s running, and it is a reason she was able to jump right into a state championship meet and run so well.

"It’s great being on the team with them," she explained. "They’re so nice and they motivate you.

"They have really pushed me," she added. "One thing that is different about them, they always go hard in their workouts, they never slack off."

Katy Trotter displayed her high jumping talents by teaming up with Elizabeth Russell to win the Bucs’ third Group III relay title. Russell led the way with her 5-0 and Trotter did a 4-8 to give the duo a combined 9-8 good enough to beat Willingboro (9-6 1/4).

The Bucs sprinters and hurdlers flexed their muscles as well. Russell, Melissa Taylor and Rosalie Bostic teamed with Katy Trotter to finish second to Woodrow Wilson (4:26.7-4:29.89) in the 1,600-meter Sprint Medley.

The busy Trotters, Amanda and Katy, ran the second and anchor legs on the 1,600-meter relay team that cranked out a 4:09.59 for third place. Hurley ran the opening leg and it was the equally busy Kingsbery running the third. Wilson’s 4:03.45 nipped Willingboro’s 4:03.81 for the win. The Bucs had the satisfaction of setting a new school record.

In Group II, Red Bank Catholic’s girls finished sixth with 19 points. The Caseys had no wins, but displayed a lot of versatility scoring in the distance events, hurdles and high jump.

Leading things off was the distance medley team of Mary McCudden, Suraya Kornegay, Patricia Misciagna and Julia Barker. The quartet ran a 13:21.37 to finished third. Voorhees captured the DM title, an 18-second margin, with a 12:59.47.

In the 4x60-meter relay shuttle, hurdlers Danielle LoPresti, Emily Watson, Amy Krilla and Jillian Danback teamed up to take sixth (36.85). Governor Livingston triumphed followed with a 35.48.

RBC’s sprinters took fifth in the 4x400-meter relay. It was Danback, her sister Katelyn Danback, Liz Ryan and Kornegay who combined for a 1:54.5. Abraham Clark edged Governor Livingston, 1:53.76-1:53.82 for the win.

Katelyn Danback and Ryan are just freshmen, which bodes well for RBC’s sprinting future.

The Caseys’ 1,600-meter relay team placed fourth (4:22.92). Nicole Stephen, Misciagna, Jillian Danback and Kornegay made up the foursome. Voorhees easily won the Group II relay crown in 4:16.56.

RBC’s final points came in the high jump where Stephen (5-0) and Krilla (4-10) teamed up for a 9-10 and third place. Monsignor Donovan won the competition at 10-2 as Tracy Steigerwald (5-2)
and Kristen Ralph (5-0) were the only duo to each jump at least 5-0.

Individual state championships are next for the indoor track and field athletes this weekend. Princeton University will again be the site, this time for the state championships.

On Saturday at 9 a.m. the Group IV school will be in action followed at 2 p.m. by Group I. On Sunday, Group III will lead it off at 9 a.m. followed at 1:30 p.m. by Group II.

The Bucs have a realistic chance to win the Group III title with Kingsbery added to the already formidable line-up featuring the Trotters and Russell.

Woodrow Wilson, Willingboro and Middletown South are the other major contenders.

The first six finishers at all of the Group meets (along with the lucky "wild card" loser) will qualify for the Meet of Champions on Feb. 4 at Princeton.